CDOG Buccaneer/Age Group Criteria & Expectations
| Buccaneer 1 – Recommended Age: 7-9 years old |
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| Equipment |
Performance |
Commitment |
Practice Ability |
| Desire to participate in swim meets |
Be a positive influence and supportive teammate |
Ready position |
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| Streamline |
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| Water Bottle |
Swims all 4 strokes legally |
Aspire to be a leader for others |
Bilateral breathing |
| 100 IM legally |
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Able to read :00, :15, :30, and :45 intervals on pace clock |
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| Buccaneer 2 – Recommended Age: 8-10 years old |
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| Equipment |
Performance |
Commitment |
Practice Ability |
| 100 IM legally |
Be a positive influence and supportive teammate |
4x50 free @1:15 or faster |
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| 50 free legally |
4x50 free kick @1:30 |
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| Water Bottle |
25s stroke legally |
Aspire to be a leader for others |
3x50 IM transition @1:20 |
| Proficient in competitive swim skills (streamlines, turns, etc.) |
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Able to dive off the starting blocks |
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Able to read :10, :20, :40, and :50 intervals on pace clock |
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| Age Group 1 – Recommended Age: 9-11 years old |
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| Equipment |
Performance |
Commitment |
Practice Ability |
| 100 IM legally |
Be a positive influence and supportive teammate |
X-Set result= 2:00 or faster |
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| 200 free legally |
4x100 IM @2:10 or faster |
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| 50s stroke legally |
Aspire to be a leader for others |
4x75 Kick @1:55 or faster |
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| Water Bottle |
Within 3% of 9-10 age group qualifying times or coach decision |
Recommended attendance: 3-5 practices per week |
Able to read :05, :25, :35, and :55 intervals on pace clock |
| Dryland clothes & sneakers |
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Show constant demonstration of basic fundamentals (streamlines, proper turns, breathing patterns) |
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| Age Group 2 – Recommended Age: 10-12 years old |
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| Equipment |
Performance |
Commitment |
Practice Ability |
| 200 IM legally |
Be a positive influence and supportive teammate |
X-Set result= 1:45 or faster |
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| 200 free legally |
4x100 IM @2:00 or faster |
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| 100s stroke legally |
Aspire to be leader for others |
4x75 Kick @1:50 or faster |
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| Paddles (Rec. Size Small) |
Multiple “B” cuts or faster or coach decision |
Recommended attendance: 3-5 practices per week |
Show constant demonstration of basic fundamentals (streamlines, proper turns, breathing patterns) |
| Water Bottle |
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| Dryland clothes & sneakers |
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| Age Group 3 – Recommended Age: 11-13 years old |
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| Equipment |
Performance |
Commitment |
Practice Ability |
| 200 IM legally |
Be a positive influence and supportive teammate |
X-Set result= 1:30 or faster |
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| 500 free legally |
3x200 IM @3:30 or faster |
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| 200s stroke legally |
Aspire to be a leader for others |
4x75 Kick @1:35 or faster |
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| Paddles (Rec. Size Medium) |
Within 3% of 11-12 Age Group qualifying times or coach decision |
Recommended attendance: 4-5 practices per week |
Show constant demonstration of basic fundamentals (streamlines, proper turns, breathing patterns) |
| Water Bottle |
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| Dryland clothes & sneakers |
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General Group Expectations
-Come to practice with eagerness and willingness to improve each day
-Must possess age appropriate levels of maturity
-Must be able to listen to and follow coach’s instructions
-Must show respect to all coaches, volunteers, and teammates as well as their belongings
-Must be able to follow basic lane etiquette (circle swimming, leaving :05 apart, allowing faster swimmers to go ahead of them, etc.)
-All equipment listed for each practice group MUST be clearly labeled with the swimmers name or initials to prevent them from getting lost
Swimsuit/Goggle Recommendation
Swimsuits:
- All boys should be wearing a competition/training style suit at practices and meets—either a jammer or brief
- All girls should be wearing a competition/training style one piece suit for practices and meets
- Team suits are required to be worn at all non-championship meets—order forms are available at the start of each season
- Tech Suits (Girl’s Aquablade or Boy’s Aquablade) are highly recommended for championship meets, but not required
Goggles:
- It is highly recommended that swimmers invest in a quality pair of racing or competition goggles to prevent leaking and maximum visibility
- It is also recommended that swimmers have at least 1 spare pair of goggles in case of an emergency
- Recommended styles include Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 Mirrored, Speedo Jr Vanquisher 2.0 (Recommended for swimmers aged 8-10), or Speedo Speed Socket 2.0 Mirrored
Meet Attendance Policy
- The Cheshire YMCA Sea Dog Swim Club is a competitive swim team that competes at the regional, state, and national level. As such, we expect all swimmers in Buccaneer 1 thru Age Group 3 to participate in as many meets as possible
- We understand that there will be scheduling conflicts with other activities that might prevent swimmers from participating in certain meets, so while 100% meet attendance isn’t required, the expectation is for meet attendance to be viewed as a priority
- Attendance for our championship or target meets including Regionals, Age Groups, CT Seniors, Zones, ISCA’s, and our December invite meet (Long Island for 12 and unders) is highly encouraged if your swimmer qualifies. We ask that all swimmers try keep their schedules open for these meet weekends once the dates are known
- When CDOG attends meets with a Trials/Finals format, all swimmers who qualify for finals are expected to participate
- All Buccaneer 2 swimmers MUST participate in at least one (1) meet to be eligible to move up to Age Group 1
